The Way He Looks At Her
by Tarantallegra13
Summary: AU Elizabethan Era Dramione - "Are you two well acquainted?" "The Physician's daughter? Hardly."


**AN: So this is inspired by 2 graphics by pink-martini on tumblr (http:/ www. pink-martini . tumblr . com) The graphics are linked on my profile page. And the text on the second one was written by beautyofsolitude (http : / / www . thebeautyofsolitude . com). So this is an AU Elizabethan era Dramione one-shot that may be made into a full fic if there is interest and if I have time. R&R if you please!**

Draco Malfoy, known to his inferiors as Lord Wiltshire, slinked into the ballroom of his graduation ball. His mother, Lady Narcissa, spotted him leaning against the wall, hidden by the sheer number of people talking and dancing around the lavish ballroom. She walked towards him with purpose.

"Draco…"

"Yes, mother?"

"This ball is in your honor, how can you not be out socializing?"

"You know how I loathe balls." Looking around the room he noticed Lord Weasley surrounded by red-headed children. "Good lord, mother, was it necessary to even invite the rabble?"

Narcissa followed his gaze and snapped her head around to glare at her son. "You never know, maybe a connection with them will prove useful one day…"

Draco rolled his eyes and said "mother, I recommend that you return to your socializing, since clearly I won't be living up to your standards." He ended his statement with a smirk.

Narcissa spun around in her dress and strode off without a glance back. Draco began to slowly slide his way around the candle-laden ballroom towards the table where he knew he could get alcohol. He managed to flag a waiter down to get a firewhisky but nearly spilt it as he practically ran into the Slytherin girls from his year. He quickly ducked back into the corner and began to survey the room.

He took a sip of the warm alcohol and let it slide down his throat. As he felt it reach his stomach, his gaze met that of a certain Gryffindor. She looked lovely, it was clear that her family had come from money, even if her blood was inferior to that of his own. The Lady Granger was the daughter of Doctor Granger, the only physician in the area of Wiltshire. As such, he and his daughter were practically royalty. Draco was certainly surprised that his mother even bothered to invite a mudblood but he supposed their connections wouldn't even be enough to deter her…they certainly didn't deter him…

Pansy Parkinson was talking to Lady Daphne Greengrass slightly across the room from Draco but it was evident that Daphne wasn't listening to her.

"Daphne, do you have the slightest care of what I'm saying?"

"Pansy, don't you think that you should be paying more attention to your betrothed? Who is he looking at?"

"Draco? He's here? Where? I've been looking for him but I figured he was showing up later and that Lady Narcissa would announce his arrival."

"He's there, in the corner. Who is it that he's looking at?"

It was evident that Draco's gaze was fixated on someone as even his drink was forgotten in his hand as he evidently stared at someone.

Pansy and Daphne followed his gaze and both stifled a gasp. Pansy was the first to speak. "The physician's daughter? Why would he even look at her?"

Daphne had a slight smile to her lips as she replied, "who know why he is looking at the Mudblood wench, probably looser than my sister, Astoria, but do you see the _way_ he is looking at her? Pansy, he doesn't even look at you that way…"

Pansy shot a glare at Daphne that would have frozen most girl's faces off but Daphne, being friends with Pansy, was more than used to Pansy's mood swings. Daphne slid across the room to Blaise Zabini and began talking to him as Pansy practically stalked her way to Draco.

He was still fixated on Lady Granger as she leaned towards him to whisper in his ear. "Are you well acquainted with her?"

Draco managed to stop himself from jumping out of skin as he glanced towards the lady in question, looking perplexed. "The physician's daughter? Hardly." He took a gulp of his firewhisky and bowed to Pansy before walking across the ballroom. Pansy's gaze followed him closely as he walked up to the Lady Granger and brushed her hand. Pansy's eyes narrowed and she walked over to Daphne to converse with her friend on this latest development.

Hermione Granger was beyond angry that she had to come to this ball but her father had told her that she was required to as _Lady_ Narcissa had come in person to personally invite them to the ball. She was looking forward to looking nice in the new dress her father had purchased to bribe her to come and she was rewarded by all the men whose gaze she held although she only had eyes for one.

The main reason she hadn't wanted to come was because the end of her Hogwarts career meant the end of the relationship she cared most about. She knew he was betrothed and she knew that graduation meant that he was a lot closer to being tied to the perfect, _pure_ woman for life. She felt his gaze on her and she kept a lookout from the corner of her eye on him. She accepted dances from other men in the room although none of them held her interest for more than a few seconds.

She noticed that a short conversation occurred between Draco and Pansy before he took off. She instantly busied herself when she realized he was walking towards her. She felt his hand swipe hers and she looked into his eyes and saw the familiarity she recognized instantly. She bowed her head and he continued walking. She waited a couple minutes before leaving the ballroom herself, from the same path that Draco had just taken.

Hermione walked down a dark candlelit path; the flickering from the candles causing every shadow to look like a threat. Hermione hurried down as quickly as she could, looking for the tell-tale sign that she knew Draco would have left. She was slowed by her constant glances back to ensure she wasn't followed. Hermione finally reached the last door in the hallway and noticed it was cracked open ever so slightly, smiling to herself she pulled the door open.

Draco dragged Hermione into the room as she opened the door. His lips attached to hers and she gasped as he took possession of her mouth. Possession was the word for it as he held her neck tightly with his hand and pulled her body close with his other hand on her corseted waist. His lips moved against hers with force and she moaned as his teeth grazed her bottom lip. He broke the kiss, leaving both of them gasping for air. Hermione placed her head on his shoulder, her short, gasping breaths wafting warm air across his neck.

"Is our secret safe tonight?" she whispered to him softly.

"Yes," he breathed back.

They had been together since Christmas of sixth year. Hermione hadn't wanted to be anywhere near the Weasley household when Lady Brown was there and Draco hadn't wanted to be anywhere near his parents. They both stayed at Hogwarts over the break and some late night study sessions in the library had driven them closer together. He hadn't been the most forthcoming at first but Hermione's enthusiasm for the holiday had helped. She insisted that he not be alone and depressed on Christmas and that led to late nights together as she forced him through things like baking cookies and Yule log fires. He finally made a move on Christmas…

"_Draco, where are you taking me?"_

"_Hermione, I read that book you gave me on Muggle Christmas Traditions."_

"_What about it?"_

"_Well, you left something out in your lessons."_

"_What's that?" she asked, out of breath as he had dragged her up to the bloody Astronomy Tower._

"_Mistletoe," he whispered, pointing up above their heads._

_Hermione's eyes widened as she followed his finger and saw the plant hanging above them. "Well, what did my book tell you happens under the mistletoe?"_

"_It said that when under the mistletoe, we kiss, for luck. I don't want to scare you off Lady Granger, but this has been the best holiday I've ever had, and I figured that your father would buy you anything you desired so I was hoping that this might be a good present instead and-"_

_Hermione cut him off and kissed him lightly on the lips. He paused for a moment in shock before responding to the kiss with fervor. It was beyond what he had imagined and he would gladly spend the rest of his days kissing Lady Granger if he could. Her lips were soft and smooth, and the kiss was quickly deepening. Draco felt his body responding in particularly improper ways. _

_Draco ended the kiss with a groan and Hermione looked into his eyes. His eyes were filled with lust and desire for the Lady and hers mirrored his desire. _

In the darkened room where Hermione and Draco were hiding out from the ball, things were moving forward quickly. Although Draco knew he wouldn't be able to hide in there forever, he was more than happy to spend these last few minutes with the woman he truly cared for.

"Draco, I thought we couldn't keep meeting like this?"

"I'm not even engaged yet, Hermione…"

"I know…but you are betrothed."

"That is a formality. You and I both know that those are broken left and right."

"But Draco, if someone were to see…"

"Hermione, there is alcohol flowing just down the hall, no one is coming down here to an abandoned bedroom."

Draco retook her lips and kissed her again. Her soft moans led him to start his hands roaming across her body. Her moans began to get louder and more prominent in the silence.

Draco broke his kiss with her but moved his lips to her ear as he murmured "dear, you might want to keep those moans down if you don't want someone coming to investigate…"

A blush rose in her cheeks as she glanced up at him before his lips went to her neck. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. He had been well practiced at making her react to his kisses and touches so he knew he was torturing her by making her stay silent. They always warded doors and rooms at school but her dress left no room for a wand and his was in his room.

He pressed her body up against the door and her eyes widened.

"Draco…" she said with a warning tone in her voice.

"Hermione," he responded with a teasing grin.

"You can't do this, you're betrothed and-"

"It's not like we haven't done it before…" he said with a kiss along the line of her dress close enough to her breasts that it made her moan.

He took her moan as acceptance and slid his hands to her back and unlaced her gown with practiced hands, after all they had done just this after the graduation ceremony which had called for formal robes as well.

Soon Hermione took a deep breath as her corset loosened and Draco took advantage of the situation to slide the dress down her sides, exposing her breasts to the cool air. He took one in his mouth and Hermione's breath hitched audibly as he began to attack it. He switched to his hands as he leaned against her body, and whispered in her ear, "I have been watching you in this dress all night, you look exquisite. However, I would like to say that you look much, much, _much,_ more exquisite, like this…with nothing on at all…"

Hermione looked at him and her hands flew to his jacket and began to swiftly unbutton it. She finally got it so it was sliding off of his body when they heard footsteps in the hallway.

They both froze against the door and Draco pressed his body tight to hers. Combined their weight would stop anyone trying to get into the door, so they stayed motionless against it. Draco continued to kiss Hermione's neck and chest line with a series of kisses that were causing her eyes to roll back into her head in ecstasy. The footsteps had disappeared as Draco continued to kiss down her body. Her heavy dress slipped off her hips as Hermione pushed Draco's jacket off his shoulders.

They kissed heavily and caressed each other's bodies, reveling in the feel of each other.

"Draco?" Hermione murmured to him.

"Yes, love?"

"What happens now? I mean, will I even see you again?"

Draco rolled towards her to face her and he looked her in the eyes. "I'll never let you go. I might be _betrothed_ to that wench out there but you, my dear, and only you hold my heart. Besides…if you go out there and socialize appropriately with mother, then perhaps I could convince her that you would be a better match than Lady Parkinson."

Hermione's eyes lit up and she asked "You would really want that?"

"Dearest, has the past year and a half taught you nothing of what I want?" He looked at her with a possessive grin on his face, "I love you, and I would be much happier to spend eternity with you."

Hermione began pulling her clothes back on and Draco put a disappointed pout on his face.

"Well, if you want to marry Lady Parkinson then by all means stay here and ravage me. Or you could let me go talk with your mother and potentially get to ravage me for the rest of your life…whenever you want…"

She had gotten rather close to him by the end of her sentence and he captured her lips with his, grazing them with his teeth as he kissed her. He reluctantly broke the kiss and pulled his jacket on, allowing Hermione to close it back up. He relaced her corset and she sighed against him as they kissed for the last time that night.

Hermione left for the ballroom first, making sure that she integrated herself into a crowd before Draco returned. Draco returned a short while later and spoke shortly with Lady Parkinson before she stormed off and left abruptly. Hermione continued to dance, including one rather special dance with Draco himself since he was the honoree of the evening. As she left for the night, she felt lighter somehow. She spoke with Narcissa and she could tell that she was charming her in at least some way.

Hermione walked out to her carriage and was heading down the stairs when she felt a hand on her own. Draco picked up her arm and carried it like a proper Lord.

Hermione had a panicked look in her eyes and hissed "Draco! What if someone sees?"

"Then they see me escorting the loveliest girl of the evening to her carriage." He replied softly to her.

She relaxed and balanced carefully on his hand as she entered the carriage in the moonlit driveway of the Wiltshire estate. Draco looked around carefully before placing his lips to hers one last time. She blushed quite prettily in the moonlight and he kissed her knuckles softly as he stepped off the carriage footstep and closed the door.

Hermione turned around as her carriage departed and watched as the carriage turned away from the estate, away from the man who held her heart.

**AN: I didn't feel like writing a full blown sex scene…maybe I will rewrite sometime and add it. I also don't know how much I like the ending but still. Review, flames or love, I don't care! **


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